Sunday, October 21, 2007

Tony Gwynn

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Lumping LF and RF together: I've got Gwynn rated very similarly to Paul Waner. Heilman has a peak adantage over Gwynn with a similar career. Al Kaline is another reasonable comp - maybe a slight adavantage to Kaline. Behind Stargell as a hitter but probably makes up for it on defense. Definitely behind Yastrzemski, all around. Sam Crawford was better at staying in the lineup over a long career. But these are comparisons with easily-elected HoMers. I'd take Gwynn ahead of Billy Williams, Al Simmons, Winfield, and maybe even Clemente.

No Tony Gwynn stories? One I heard listening to Twins games is that a young Jacque Jones was introduced to MLB player Tony Gwynn through his mother. The connection - Jacque's mother worked at KFC in San Diego and Tony liked to frequent that KFC. Jacque's mother mentioned to Tony (while he was ordering) that her son was a ballplayer and he was going to make the major leagues someday. Tony met with Jacque not long after.

All-time placement: I concur with behind Sam Crawford and ahead of Clemente. I also have Raines ahead of Gwynn.

Tony liked to frequent that KFC
And many others, it appeared.
It would be churlish to complain about career length when the guy still could rake at 41 years old. But at his career's end, his weight issues had to have been taking a toll somehow.

I have Gwynn right next to Fred Clarke, just under Reggie Jackson, Jesse Burkett, and Joe Jackson, and ahead of Clemente and Slaughter. Waner, Crawford, Raines, Yaz, Kaline, and Sheffield seem one cut above to me, while Heilmann, Billy Williams, Flick, and Simmons are clearly below.

This doesn't have much to do directly with Gwynn. The book "Dollar Sign on the Muscle" is an interesting review of scouting as it was practised in the early 80s, with a focus on the 1981 draft. Gwynn is mentioned only peripherally at the end of the book as likely the best player to emerge from that draft (as it turned out he was).

It would be great to have a 2007-08 version of that book to find out how widespread the changes since the early 80s are.